I'm Miles From Where You Are
by rewrittengirl
Summary: Killian and Neal are lost; Hook is distraught over the loss of what could have been his only family, and Neal can't find his way back to the family he has. As both of them begin to discover their feelings for each other, all the while facing dangers in separate worlds, when they finally meet again, on the shores of Neverland, their lives may change forever.


**Title: **I'm Miles From Where You Are

**Author:** rewrittengirl (Leffie)  
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Fandom: **Once Upon a Time (TV series)  
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Wordcount: **2,564 words  
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Rating: **T for teen.  
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Characters: **Captain Killian "Hook" Jones, Baelfire/Neal Cassidy, Aurora, Mulan, Prince Philip, Emma Swan, Ariel/The Little Mermaid, Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold, The Evil Queen/Regina Mills, Prince Charming/David Nolan, Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard, Henry Mills, Peter Pan, etc.  
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Pairing(s): **Hookfire, Mulan/Aurora, some Charming/Snow, mentions of Rumbelle.  
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Contains: **UST, underage pre-slash, eventual M/M _and _F/F slash,  
**  
Notes:** I really shouldn't have started another fic until I finished the ones I have, but... I have no Sherlock muse once more. Literally ALL of my muse is focused on this pairing, and maybe a bit of Phantom. That's it. So... I really hope you like Hookfire, because that's what I've been doing nonstop and will probably continue to do until I get tired of it. I LOVE YOU ALL 3.

Btw, if you're worried about Neal being annoying in this fic, don't be. I'm going to attempt to make him more likable by making him more like the young Bae we know and love.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Once Upon a Time, nor any of the characters mentioned in this fic. Characters are the properties of their respective owners. I'm just a humble fic writer out to break people's emotions. :/  
**  
Summary: **Killian and Neal are lost; Hook is distraught over the loss of what could have been his only family, and Neal can't find his way back to the family he has. As both of them begin to discover their feelings for each other, all the while facing dangers in separate worlds, when they finally meet again, on the shores of Neverland, their lives may change forever.

* * *

The sea in Neverland was especially calm, undisturbed... that was until Captain Hook sailed its waters once more.

He stood upon the deck of the Jolly Roger, steady and unwavering in his stance. But his heart beat louder and faster than the drumming of the waves against the ship. The isle of Neverland was a mere speck in his golden spyglass, but he could already feel the pull and tug of its shores on his body. They were bound to it now. _He_ was bound to find himself there again. It was only a matter of time...

Killian masked his discomfort well by remaining the physically impassive captain that his reputation conceived him to be. The night was as cold as the black water, and his breath came in translucent mists. Anyone who looked on wouldn't notice the staggering of it, how it sputtered and dragged as if its owner was unable to steady their lungs.

That was... anyone but Emma Swan.

He hadn't noticed her at first, though eventually even she could not mask the creaking of the deck that old wooden ships were wont to produce. Killian's grin cracked as he turned around, collapsing the spyglass and tucking it in his breast pocket. "Miss Swan. I assume you'd like a word with me."

The woman was broken. It was easy for the shattered to recognize the same in another. Searching eyes, disbelief in a frown, the yearning to utter words of mourning but the inability to do so... They'd both lost a bit of themselves the past day, so yes, he could sympathize. But...

Emma zipped her jacket to prevent the cold from getting to her, but he could see her bristling, just like her namesake upon touching a freezing pond. "Couldn't sleep. You?"

Jones licked his lips, his eyes drifting to the deck and back out to the water. "I don't rest at night. It's the most vulnerable time of day on a pirate ship."

She nodded in understanding, joining him at the railing to stare into the distance. Killian slung his hook through the shrouds, leaning against his arm with his hand stuffed in his pocket. "It's just as well, in any case. Any dreams I might have would turn to nightmares as I'm about to face_ him_down once more."

"You know him well, then," she said, reclining her arms against the railing. "If you fear him so much then why are you helping us?"

Killian blinked, stuffing away the remarks he'd like to shoot her and instead deflecting her question. "I don't _fear_ him, Miss Swan. I _loathe_ his power over this land. Those who have lingered here through the ages follow Pan blindly. When an outsider like me came around and saw that he was poisoning innocent minds, I wasn't welcomed gladly. I imagine he despises me as much as I do him."

Emma looked at him with experienced eyes, trained to win his lying game. "Is that really why you're doing this?"

The wind picked up and cast about Killian's cheeks. He rolled his eyes, unable to look any longer at the Neverland's ever closer shores. He turned and walked to the helm, gripping the wheel just to have something to hold onto.

"You're not getting away from this, you know."

"And your insistence isn't going to illicit an answer from me, either."

She was formulating a strategy, he knew, so he addressed her plans for her. "You wrack your pretty brain for some way to 'break' me all you want, Swan. I have my reasons for doing as I do, just as everyone does. _Leave_ it." He didn't look at her. He _couldn't_ look at her until he figured a way to mend the pain he shouldn't have.

Emma didn't speak for a moment. She merely looked at him, and he could feel her eyes watching his expressions. He was compelled to glance back, though he'd tried not to. When he did, her face was plain, yet sorrowful.

"I'm sorry. For whoever it was, I'm sorry."

Killian gave a hollow, quiet laugh, his grip tightening on the helm. He turned his head, but unfortunately his gaze landed on the _carving_. Tightening his lips, he nodded a kind of thanks.

For a while Emma was silent, but being left to his thoughts at that point was a bad idea. So, he gave her what she wanted.

"Aye... I lost someone dear to me recently, Miss Swan, and I'll be damned if I let you lose someone you care about as well."

He lifted his head, and Emma gave a knowing smile. "Thank you."

_For trusting me, _he heard. _And for helping us_. He saw this in her eyes, but they were both too proud to admit these sorts of things aloud.

_'You shouldn't trust me, dear Emma_,' he whispered in his mind. _'Because I can hardly tell you that I desire to save Henry since he's the only thing left...'_

Killian's eyes misted over as he stared ahead. Emma seemed to notice and nudged his arm. "So, you wanna tell me who Pan _is_ exactly or what?"

Reaching through his daze, he grinned and shook his head. "Who he is? Well, in your world he's something of a hero, and I the dastardly villain... or so I've read."

"Right... J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan, Neverland, I get it." She raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "But of all people I should know that the stories aren't always accurate."

"Indeed, Miss Swan. Pan is a smiling, mischievous youth, but... I believe that's where similarities end." Killian raised his hook in the moonlight, examining the way it shone and cast a harrowing shadow about the deck. "Peter Pan, to put it plainly, is evil incarnate."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Hook..."

"It's true!" Killian turned his back and leaned it against the helm, crossing his arms and looking up at the stars. "The Peter Pan you know is an innocent, free with folly and shady morals, but harmless. Yes, you of all people should know how well our histories were chronicled in the Land without Magic." He grinned at her. "Look at me! That scott Barrie made me out to be a curly haired fop!"

Emma chuckled. "When did you even find time to read it... sailing to New York?" she muttered, joining him in leaning against the large wheel of the helm, both resuming stargazing.

"The point is, all you know of the Pan is incorrect. He is an enigma. Since I've known him I lost count of the number of children he brought to Neverland, never to see their families again.

"... You lot have only faced enemies of the vengeful nature. They say love is the strongest motivator for evil doings... Even I have been on this quest of mine because of it." The two shared a glance, and he knew she would not press him. Good girl, Swan.

"Pan, however, is a shadow. He does not feel remorse, nor does he attach himself to pets or tokens that would give him weaknesses. He is not seen until it is too late. He takes for himself and his Lost Ones those children who wish-or perhaps beg not- to be lost themselves." Killian craned his neck toward the sea, feeling closer to Neverland's treacherous shores with each passing moment. "You can hear their crying screams at night, when they realize they are alone."

His voice died in a near whisper. He could feel himself and Emma stiffening, and a sailor's knot was forming in his throat. He couldn't even remember... had Bae cried for help? His wild, pleading eyes were all that remained in his memory. Betrayal was a wound that cut both affected parties... No, Bae had not cried for help.

When he glimpsed Emma's face again, she was wiping away premature tears. "During my previous stay here," he began, holding her gaze until he was sure her tears were dry. "I was not made aware of Pan's purpose with the children. I can only imagine what it was that interested him so... But as far as I'm aware, he has never _killed _a single child."

Emma's lips faintly smiled. She nodded, seemingly grateful for his reassurance.

"And besides," he shrugged, "Adults are his worst enemies. I suspect those two who took your boy"-_the ones who took Bae's life_- "will be in far more danger than Henry."

She nodded slowly in understanding. "How did you survive, then? If he hates adults so much?"

Killian gave a wry grin, leaning down to her ear and speak-whispering, "To be perfectly honest, like the Crocodile, he _loves_ deals."

A smile was brought to Emma's face, and she ended up laughing. He was glad he could bring joy to her in that moment. Now if only he could raise his own spirits...

"And just what did you bargain, Captain?"

Both of them turned their heads quickly to the voice. The Crocodile stood erect in the pale moonlight. He twisted his cane in agitation.

Killian's eyes steeled as he rose his head. He replied point blank. "If I only stepped on Neverland's shores once a year to supply my ship with essentials, _and _if I minded my own business and denied nothing the Pan required of me, then my crew and I could remain sailing... and _alive._" His brow furrowed, and his lips twitched. "Though I can't say the number of times I've longed to _deny_ those requests."

"So he wants to be left alone," Emma offered. Gold walked closer toward them to fully join their conversation, though Killian would rather have him below deck... perhaps in the _brig._

The pirate sneered. "Not _alone. _He wishes to live in _chaos_. Neverland is a place with no rules, and Pan is the king of discord. Adults represent order, structure. We are everything he ran away from and wishes to keep at bay. What child _wants _to be told what he's doing is wrong? Certainly not one who _knows_ he isn't right."

He let that mull over in their minds, though he had no doubt the Crocodile easily comprehended Pan's power over Neverland. He knew who he was, that much was certain...

"So how do we stop him?" Emma was desperate for answers... and he couldn't blame her. Not now.

"Kill him?" Gold supplied flippantly. Killian wanted to rip that smile off his face by the tip of his hook, little by little...

_'It's your fault, Rumplestiltskin. But you already knew that, didn't you?'_

"Kill him?!" He gave a hollow laugh to mask his physical response to Gold's presence. "My dear Crocodile..." The captain went to the railing and clung to the shrouds again. A fire was starting in Neverland. He could see a spark like a star in the distance. "You can't kill him. Pan is an immortal soul. A child forever."

As he turned to look at them with an ominous foreboding in his eyes, the ship rocked with a gust of wave and wind. He held onto the hatched ropes by his hook as they tried to steady themselves. His face was like a stone.

"You can't kill what's already dead."

* * *

_"So who is __he__, anyway?"_

_Captain Hook's unchanging gaze from the sea broke when the boy appeared behind him. He turned from his focus at the helm to watch young Baelfire finish adjusting his new collar. Hmm, the boy didn't look bad in his clothes. Killian would make a pirate of him yet._

_"He's not the shadow that brought me here, is he?"_

_Hook hadn't realized he'd been staring. He shook his head, both to empty his mind and to answer in the negative. "No, he's not. He's the owner of that shadow, lad, and you'd do best to stay away from the both of them."_

_Baelfire shivered in the cold night air, his breath like chilled steam from an icebox. "Sounds like you're a little afraid of him, sir," he grinned._

_Killian tutted, narrowing his eyes. "Don't be cheeky, now. I'm your means of survival, remember?"_

_The boy shrugged, picking at the wine-colored jacket with a frown. He looked sad when he wasn't trying to make light of the situation... It reminded him of Milah, how she was always secretly empty inside, despite their continuous adventures. Hook rubbed his chin, wandering to the shrouds and clutching them with hand and hook. Through the ropes he saw Neverland. Distantly, he could hear the cries of lonely children, not just on the island, but echoing in his mind._

_"What's wrong?" Baelfire approached him, leaning forward on the railing and stretching his neck around to look at Hook through the netting._

_Killian's face shied away from meeting Baelfire's. Not that he feared his eyes would betray him- the boy would never know of his relationship with his mother. It was just... that same __look__ was one she gave him. A kind of happy-concerned expression, a smile to lighten the mood but frowning eyes that worried._

_"N-nothing, boy. Keep to yourself." Killian breathed through his nose, now trying to focus on the stars. He had to remind himself that Baelfire wasn't __just__ Milah's son... but the Crocodile's as well. His blood coursed through the boy's veins just as much as hers did._

_Upon glancing at him, he watched the younger frown. "You keep calling me 'boy,' and 'lad.' I have a name, you know."_

_With this Killian had to laugh and shine his pearly teeth at him. "That you do, boy... that you do."_

_Baelfire glared at him, but he continued to laugh. He slung his left arm through the net and careened his right to ruffle the boy's hair. He grimaced and smoothed back the disarrayed locks from his eyes, but Hook detected a smile._

_"Don't be so bothered, Bae- if I may __call you that__."_

_Bae pushed more of his hair behind an ear and smiled wider. "It's better than 'boy,'" he muttered, fiddling with the cuff of the jacket. "...Thanks for the clothes, by the way."_

_Killian nodded and smiled softly, gazing at Bae with contemplative eyes. He blinked, looking down._

_Quite suddenly, he heard a distinct yawn come from beside him. Hook pinched that loose red coat and then patted his back, strolling to the helm. "Get ye to bed. You've had a rough night, I imagine."_

_His young companion rubbed his arm where he'd pinched it, shrugging with apathy. His face was flaxen and worn. Hook couldn't help but feel the harsh battles he'd gone through, in his own way. He couldn't imagine having such a demon like the Crocodile for a father... Not even his own father could disgust him so. He knew without asking that the Dark One had abandoned his only child... What would Milah think if she saw her son now, distraught with the memories of his past...?_

_"Goodnight... Captain," Bae muttered as he descended the steps of the quarter deck._

_Hook looked after him, uncertainty in his eyes. He stepped forward, gripping the railing as he peered down at the youth. "Bae?"_

_He turned around, trying to focus on Hook's raised form in the tired darkness. "Yes, Captain?"_

_The man grinned, tilting his head. "It's Killian, lad. Killian Jones, if you please."_

_Bae's shining face smiled, and he nodded in understanding. Then, he disappeared, leaving Killian to reflect upon his strangely beating heart._


End file.
